Welcome to the UW School of Social Work Writing Help Web site! The purpose of this Web site is to provide you with an organized collection of online writing resources.

WHERE TO START

The UW School of Social Work produced this 21-page Guidelines for Student Papers. If you have not already read this document, you should do so as soon as possible. It contains tips for effective writing and formatting. This document will help you learn about both the “process” and “product” of writing.

After reading the Guidelines for Student Papers, this next document, Organizational Coherence in Academic Writing, is useful in helping to conceptualize the basic structure of an academic paper.

NOTE: When you are writing a paper for a class, your assignment sheet and teacher’s instructions should take precedence over any guidelines provided on this Web site.

APA STYLE

Is APA style driving you crazy? Most people in the social sciences are expected to format their papers according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition), also known as the APA Style Manual. If you are not familiar with this formatting style, it may be difficult to remember all the APA style rules. The following resources should answer your basic questions about APA style. If you still have questions, contact the Social Work Writing Consultant.

1. Here is a link that will take you to the University of Washington Libraries’ Citation & Writing Guide Web site. Click on the APA Style Guide for Electronic References, the APA Style Guide, Citation Styles, and any other link on this useful Web site to learn more about proper citation.
2. More detailed than the UW Libraries’ style sheets, this APA Style Sheet is made freely available on the Web by someone not affiliated with the American Psychological Association. It is more detailed and comprehensive than the style sheets made available by the UW libraries.
3. Here are some style tips from the American Psychological Association.
4. Are you citing a lot of legal materials? Westfield State College has put together a Web reference on how to cite legal materials in APA style.
5. Using Principles of APA Style to Cite and Document Sources by Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger.
6. Find the Citation Error: A Quick Quiz on APA Style. (Powerpoint).
7. An Overview of “APA Style.” Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition) (Powerpoint).

HEALTH SCIENCES: WRITER TOOLKIT

Selected collection of resources to use when writing.

THE CLASSIC WRITING BOOK

William Strunk, Jr.’s The Elements of Style is nearly a century old, but this slim book is still considered a classic by many writing teachers. The author’s main point is to write clearly and correctly. Anyone who wants to be a better writer should read this book! Now available in electronic form.

IMPROVING GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND SPELLING

Some people are good at grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and others need more practice. If you’re someone who needs more practice, here are some excellent Web sites to get started:

1. Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL). Go through this entire Web site from top to bottom to get an overview of correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
   
2. Here is a long list of daily grammar lessons that you can study in manageable chunks. Study them all or just click on the ones you need.
   
3. Do you know the difference between “affect” and “effect,” or “aural” and “oral,” or “critique” and “criticize”? Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage is a fun Web site where you can find hundreds of different words that people often use incorrectly. Brians has written a book by the same name.
4. Assess your specific strengths and weaknesses as a writer with this fun series of online grammar exercises. Go to:
   
   http://dianahacker.com/writersref/index.html
   
   and select Electronic Grammar Exercises. Review this flyer before beginning.

ONLINE DICTIONARIES

If you are not sure how to spell a word or what it means, be sure to look it up in a dictionary. You do not want to refer to someone as “decrepit” when what you really mean is “depressed.” Here are a few online dictionaries/thesauruses. Just type a word in the search window and click on the search button.

1. The Free Dictionary by Farlex.
   
2. MSN Encarta.
   
3. Dictionary.com.
   
4. Merriam-Webster Online.

ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

These online encyclopedias can provide some quick background information on a particular topic or event. Part of the Web site may be for members only, but there is also a free portion.

1. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
   
2. MSN Encarta.
   
3. Wikipedia.

WRITING CENTERS AT UW AND OTHER UNIVERSITIES

Here is a list of writing centers at other universities. Most writing centers provide writing resources for students on their Web sites. See what the following have to offer:

Purdue University’s The OWL Family of Sites.

The OWL’s Extensive List of Writing Labs or Writing Centers on the Web

UW Psychology Writing Center Writing Guides

UW CLUE Evening Drop-in Writing Center, Mary Gates Hall Gateway Center
Interdisciplinary, open only to undergrads. No appointment needed. Just print out what you’ve got, grab your notes, or bring your laptop, and come on over! Our staff have all taught college-level writing courses and have ESL experience, so we know what your professors want and can help get you there!

English Department Writing Center, B-12 Padelford Hall, 206-685-2876
The writing center is a free peer tutoring service set up by the English Department specifically to help students in writing courses.

Odegaard Writing & Research Center, Odegaard Undergraduate Library, Room 326 (3rd floor), owrc@u.washington.edu, Sunday through Thursday, 1:30-4:30 and 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Interdisciplinary, appointments & walk-ins, writing help from trained student tutors when you need it. A joint project of the College of Arts & Sciences and the UW Libraries.

Student Consultations with Librarians
The Student Consultation Service is designed for UW students needing research assistance with course- and degree-related projects and assignments. Meet with a librarian one-on-one to discuss focusing a topic, identifying & evaluating sources, and searching library databases and the Internet effectively.

MISCELLANEOUS/HANDOUTS/WORKSHOP VIDEOS

Five Tips for Good Writing

Academic Honesty: Cheating and Plagiarism, Gary Olson, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

Citing Online Resources: A Quick Reference Sheet

Peter Elbow’s Foreward to Pat Schneider’s Writing Alone and With Others

2004 SSW Writing Workshop Video

2004 SSW Writing Workshop Agenda

2004 SSW MSW Thesis Workshop Video

2004 SSW “-isms” Writing Workshop

2004 SSW Professional Writing Workshop

Writing for Change: Raising Awareness of Difference, Power and Discrimination

LIBRARY AND COMPUTER RESOURCES

University of Washington Libraries

Health Links / Health Sciences Library

Social Work Library

Resources for Social Work and Social Sciences

Computer Resources on the UW Campus

Campus Computing Labs

The Center for Social Science Computing and Research (CSSCR)

CHECK BACK

Check back with this site regularly: New content will be added as it becomes available. Also, stay tuned for more writing workshops on specialized topics and other activities for both graduate and undergraduate students. Remember, if you have questions about writing, just e-mail sswwrite@u.washington.edu.